{
  "id": 4621111,
  "title": "Government designates 13 blocked-out areas for small-scale mining to curb illegal mining",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/government-designates-13-blocked-out-areas-for-small-scale-mining-to",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T10:09:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/government-designates-13-blocked-out-areas-for-small-scale-mining-to-curb-illegal-mining/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The government, through the Minerals Commission, has designated 13 blocked-out areas across Ghana for small-scale mining. These carefully studied areas aim to promote responsible mining and combat illegal mining activities, which degrade the environment and pose risks to communities. The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Maxwell Yao Akpene Klu, explained that the initiative targets one of the root causes of illegal mining, known as galamsey, which involves digging in unauthorized areas like water bodies and forest reserves. The provision of geologically studied areas will prevent miners from entering restricted zones, ensuring that mining does not compromise the environment or national installations, nor affect human health and settlements. The Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), mandates prospecting license holders to relinquish a portion of their concessions as exploration progresses. The Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project (GLRSSMP) has equipped the Minerals Commission with three Hybrid Multi-Rotor Drones fitted with Geomagnetic MagArrow magnetometers for aeromagnetic surveys, enabling the Commission to assess the richness of these areas. Stakeholders, including GoldBod, UMaT, Ghana Geological Survey, and MDF, are collaborating to explore and develop these blocked-out areas, providing legal alternatives to illegal mining and creating job opportunities for young people in mining communities.",
  "summary": "The government, through the Minerals Commission, has demarcated 13 blocked-out areas across the country to be allocated to Ghanaians interested in small-scale mining. The blocked-out areas, which will be well studied before allocations are made, form part of renewed efforts to promote responsible mining and eradicate illegal mining activities for the benefit of the country's environment and its…",
  "key_points": [
    "Government designates 13 areas for small-scale mining in Ghana.",
    "Aim to curb illegal mining and promote responsible practices.",
    "Geologically studied areas prevent environmental and health risks."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Joy Business",
        "title": "Government designates 13 blocked-out areas for small-scale mining to curb illegal mining",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/government-designates-13-blocked-out-areas-for-small-scale-mining-to-4625229",
        "published": "2026-08-31T10:09:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}